XXXIV. CELASTRINE^. . 401 



3. DENHAMIA, Mcisn. 



(Leupocarpon, A , Rich.) 



Calyx 5-cIeft. Petals 5. Stamens 5, inserted on the margin of the disk ; 

 filaments suLulate; anthers ovate. Disk broadly cupular, rather thick. Ovaiy 

 I'Oellcd, M itli 3, or rarely 4 or 5 parietal placentas, or completely divided into 

 as many cells ; style short, with as many stig-matic lobes as cells or placentas. 

 Ovmles 3 to 8 to each cell or placenta. Capsule ovoid or globular, opening 

 m thick woody or bony valves, bearing the placentas or dissepiments in their 

 centre. Seeds enclosed in a fleshy arillus ; albumen fleshy ; cotyledons flat. 



Shrubs or small trees, glabrous and more or less glaucous. Leaves alter- 

 nate, rigid, entire, or toothed. Flowers small, in few-flowered cymes or 

 racemes. 



The genus is exclusively Australian, and, on account of the parietal placcntation of two 

 species, has been by some referred to Blxhiea ; but the disk, stamens, general habit, etc., 

 are tbose peculiarly characteristic of Celastrinece. 



Ovary 1-celled ; placentas (4- to 8-ovulate) not meeting in the axis. 

 Veins of the leaves not very prominent. 



^lowers racemose. Style distinct \, B. oleaster. 



-Flowers in cymes or narrow panicles. Style very short, branched 2. B. obscura. 

 Ovary 3-ceIfed, placentas (3- or 4 ovulate) united in the axis. Leaves 



prominently veined 3. B,pitiosporoides, 



1* D. oleaster, F. MnelL in Tram. Phil Inst. Fid. iii. 29. A tall 

 shnib with slender branches. Leaves lanceolate, acute, or rarely obtuse, 2 to 

 3 in. long, entire or remotely toothed, nairowed into a very short petiole, 

 coriaceous, the veins scarcely conspicuous. Flowers in short, simple, axillaiy 

 or terminal racemes, the pcdic(^ls very ran^ly bearing 2 flowers. Calyx-seg- 

 ments broadly ovate or orbicular. Petals nearly 2 lines long. Disk thicker, 

 and filaments longer than in the other two species. Ovary l-celled, tapering 

 ^nto a style of at least \ line, the stigniatic lobes very short. Placentas 3, 

 ^^ith 4 to 6 ovules to each. Fruit not seQn.—ilelic^lus (?) oleaster, Lindl. in 

 Mitch. Trop. Austr. 383. 



Queensland. St. George's Bridge, Baloniic river, Mitchell. 



2. D. obscura, Meim. in Walp. Rep. i. 203. A tall shnib or small 

 ji'ee, the young branches generally pendulous. Leaves mostly oblong-Ianceo- 

 late, acuminate, 2 to 3 in. long, entire, with often wavy margins, narrowed 

 into a rather long petiole, coriaceous, finely but not prominently veined ; on 

 ban-en branches the leaves are sometimes broadly ovate and bordered by 

 <^oarse prickly teeth like those of a Holly, Flowers in smnll pedunculate 

 cymes in the upper axils, or forming a short oblong terminal panicle. Calyx- 

 segments ovate. Petals rather bi'oad, 1 J l^^cs long. Ovary l-cclled, with 

 ^ to 5 placentas ; style very short, with 3 to 5 oblong-linear stigmatic 

 braiicLes. Ovules 4 to 8 to each placenta. Capsule ovoid or globular, at- 

 tanuiig about 1 in., of a pale-whitish hue when dry, the thick valves bearing 

 slightly projecting placentas along their Q^nixe.—Leucocarpon ohscurum, A. 

 Jiich. Sert. Astrol 46, t. 18 ; Denhnmia xanfJwsperma, F. MucU. Trans. Phil, 

 ^^st- iii. 28, and T). helerophjlla , F. MueU. I.e. 29. 



W- Australia. York Sound, N.W. coast, A. Cunningham ; Melville Island (not 



VOL. 1, 2d 



